


As a Brother

by Astrid_Midnight



Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Brotherly Love, Fluff, Gen, Sleepy Cuddles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-30
Updated: 2020-06-30
Packaged: 2021-03-04 23:06:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,658
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25004368
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Astrid_Midnight/pseuds/Astrid_Midnight
Summary: Ignis comforts Noctis in the night.(and a look back on Ignis's relationship with Noctis)Written for FFXV Brotherly Love Week Day 2- Sleepy Cuddles.
Relationships: Noctis Lucis Caelum & Ignis Scientia
Comments: 6
Kudos: 27
Collections: FFXV Brotherly Love Week





	As a Brother

**Author's Note:**

> I love fics about the bros being bros with each other so this week was the perfect opportunity to begin writing about it myself!! I wanted to get this out in time before Day 2 ended, so I'll probably come back to edit a bit!!
> 
> Disclaimer: I own nothing (obviously lol)
> 
> Hope you enjoy!!

Ignis would say that he wasn’t much for hugs.

When he was trained to be Noctis’s advisor from a young age, there were certain actions that were deemed ‘improper’. The most proper ways to address the future King of Lucis, his tutors said, were either bowing or a handshake.

He would recount those lessons to his uncle over dinner, which would, to Ignis’s surprise, cause him to laugh. “What those stuffy tutors fail to understand is that you’re simply training to be the prince’s advisor.”

Ignis frowned at him. “But if I’m to be primarily the prince’s advisor, shouldn’t formality be a priority?”

His uncle looked unimpressed at his rebuttal. Looking back, Ignis thought it was probably because his uncle wasn’t expecting him to be such an inquisitive child that would talk back at him. He sighed. “Ignis, yes, formality is important. But if Prince Noctis is to confide in you, you have to be his friend, first and foremost.”

At that, Ignis pouted indignantly, like the child he was. “Of course, I’ll be his friend! Why wouldn’t I be?”

His Uncle smiled warmly at that. “I know that. There’s not a doubt in my mind.”

When King Regis had summoned Ignis to properly introduce him to Prince Noctis, he reminded himself of all his training. This was the future king, he told himself, you have to present yourself as proper as possible. The king had asked Ignis to care for Noctis like a brother and, seeing the young boy in front of him, the young advisor resolved that he would do all he could to be there for him.

He put on a friendly smile as the prince was nudged towards him. Noctis was looking down at the ground, nervousness all over his face. Ignis’s smile faltered for a brief second, not wanting the young prince to feel uncomfortable by his presence. All he could do in the moment was hold out an encouraging hand for Noctis to take, but the younger boy took it in both of his, smiling brightly, his nerves gone. At that, Ignis’s smile grew, already feeling a kinship with the boy.

Noctis seemed to warm up to Ignis quite quickly, always enthusiastic to invite him into games or to show him his books and toys. Sometimes, Noctis would fall asleep as Ignis was reading him a story book late at night. However, before Ignis would be able to excuse himself for the night, Noctis would latch onto him, half-asleep, asking Ignis to stay with him for the night. Every time, Ignis relented, allowing Noctis to cuddle next to him, while he laid a hand on his back.

By the morning, he and Noctis were cuddled on the bed together, a comforting presence to each other. It had become a frequent occurrence and, while that went against everything Ignis trained for, he didn’t have in him to care. He was growing close to Noctis like a brother, which seemed to more important than their titles. Every time Ignis had to leave for the day, Noctis would barrel into him, giving him the biggest hug he could, which Ignis would reciprocate the same level of affection. The formalities would be forgotten and they could be the brothers they knew they could be.

However, after Noct’s Marilith attack, he was no longer the vibrant boy he met. He withdrew within himself and wasn’t as open as he was before, which disheartened Ignis. He would always be there to comfort Noctis after a nightmare, to give him a hug whenever he needed it. Their bond remained strong but something about it changed.

It had changed even more once they reached their teenage years and had their own respective duties to worry about. There were moments where Ignis put on his advisor persona around Noctis, which did more harm than good. He had to remember that, while he was bound to Noct's by duty, there were times where he had to be a friend first.

While Ignis’s duty was as Noct’s advisor, over the years, he had become a regular caretaker for him in his teenage years. It had been a joke about how much he fretted over Noct, but honestly, it was a natural instinct that any older brother would have. There were a lot of things about his duty that he didn’t enjoy, but if it was for Noct, then he didn’t have many complaints.

Even if Noctis wasn’t as energetic as he was as a child, he still had his ways of showing happiness and opening up to others. It was like he was communicating in a new language that took Ignis years to understand. He learnt from experience that he couldn’t push too hard at Noctis, lest he wanted him to retreat within himself even more. If this was the way Noct was, he wouldn’t pressure him to change. Noctis would come out of his shell on his own.

Which brought Ignis by surprise when he woke up to something latching onto him. He looked down only to find Noctis… cuddling him in his sleep. Because it had been so long since he experienced Noctis doing that, Ignis forgot it was a frequent occurrence whenever Noctis slept beside someone. When Ignis shifted under his hold, Noctis seemed to instinctively tighten the grip he had. Ignis let out an indignant breath out of his nose and was ready to manoeuvre himself into a more comfortable position until he looked down.

He saw Noct’s features pinched together, his eyes scrunched shut, short breaths coming out of his mouth as if he was in pain. Ignis’s hand froze over Noct’s shoulder before gently resting on top of it. It had only been less than a month since the fall of Insomnia and them being on the run from the Empire and-

Noctis losing his father.

Ever since his outburst at the Tomb, Noctis hadn’t been that open about his grief. Ignis and the others had assured their friend that he could always confide in them. However, even that didn’t bring Noctis out of his shell. Ignis remembered the distress that used to bring him; he knew that Noctis had lost his openness since his accident, but began to open up only slightly more in his teenage years. The last thing he wanted was for him to retreat back into that shell, believing that his friends, his brothers, weren’t there for him, that he couldn’t trust them.

But he couldn’t push, Ignis reminded himself; Noctis would only open up once he was ready.

He felt Noctis tightly grip his shirt, as if in distress. Without thinking, Ignis let his arm wrap around his shoulders and lightly tugged Noctis closer to his side. The younger man’s heavy breathing seemed to settle after a moment. Ignis lightly dragged a hand through Noct’s hair.

“I leave Noct in your care,” King Regis had told him several years ago.

Ignis knew the effect the Wall had on him, slowly draining his life away, but he had no way of knowing how long the King would last. He didn’t expect anything to happen to Regis for quite a while, but Ignis affirmed his statement, nonetheless. No matter what happened, Ignis would never leave Noctis on his own. Even when he was more than capable of taking care of himself, Ignis would always be around to make sure he was safe.

There were moments where Ignis was at a loss on how to be Noct’s advisor and trusted friend at the same time; it was times like these where he knew that Noctis needed him to be more of the latter. Noct’s father was gone, which meant that he had to do everything he could to take care of him. It had always been like that, for the majority of their lives, but Noctis would need Ignis’s support (along with the rest of their friends) more than ever.

He promised that he would take care of Noct and keep him safe. Ignis had no intention of breaking it any time soon.

With that oath in mind, Ignis slowly rolled onto his side. He still had an arm wrapped around Noct’s shoulders, so that they were facing each other. He tightened his hold around Noct and then placed his free hand behind his head. Noctis stirred from the movement, groaning lightly. Ignis slowly stroked his hair, knowing that he didn’t like being woken up suddenly in the night.

His eyes fluttered half-open, peering up at the advisor. “I-Iggy?”, he muttered, clearly half-asleep and not understanding what was going on.

Ignis smiled softly at him and quietly shushed him, continuing to run his hand through his hair. “It’s okay, Noct. Go back to sleep.”

Noctis continued to look up at Ignis with that confused, half-asleep expression until his eyes slowly slipped shut. He sighed contently as he rested his head against Ignis’s chest, nuzzling him slightly before settling. When his breathing had evened out, Ignis took a look at Noctis again. His expression had softened significantly, his breathing gentler and he seemed to have relaxed his death grip on Ignis’s shirt.

For a moment, it felt like they were children again. Ignis was reminded of the times he fell asleep with Noctis, either from reading a book together or after they returned from an late night escapade outside of the Citadel. It brought Ignis back to those more carefree days, where neither of them was pressured by duties and were able to enjoy their youth together. Even though those memories were behind them, Ignis was grateful that he and Noctis maintained their closeness throughout it all. That he was able to support Noctis as a prince, as a friend and, most importantly, as family.

Ignis smiled at the sight of his brother in his arms and gently pressed his lips to Noct’s hair. “I’m here, Noct,” he whispered, eyes slipping shut. “I’ll always be here.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks so much for reading!!
> 
> I'm on twitter @xvsylleblossoms where I scream about FFXV XD


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